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Do you replace worn out workhorses?

October was my closet edit month and I have taken to this challenge with gusto. It was well overdue and I feel wonderful looking in my closet and seeing only items I want to wear.

However, there were two workhorses that needed to be removed because I had completely worn them out. These were twopairs of shoes the second gold sandal below and some gold sneakers (below).

I have 'replaced' my flat gold sandals with the lace up (first find below) - but as I often find with replacements of a beloved item, it just does not have the same appeal as the original. The lace ups will be worn a lot because flat comfy summer sandals are a wardrobe essential and perfect pairs that combine good looks and comfort (the sort of 5,000 step comfort) can be hard to find. These are fine, but just do not spark joy like their predecessors.

With the gold sneakers, I don't think I am likely to find a perfect replacement and now wonder if it is even worth trying. Should I just move onto something completely different despite the old gold sneakers being such a great fit in my wardrobe? Maybe Western boots for example?

What is your strategy for replacing a worn-out workhorse? To try and replace it with something as close to the original as possible or do you move onto a new and different style?

You have attacked the October Closet Edit Challenge with gusto. I sincerely enjoyed each and every one of your posts. It was your posts that created so much motivation in myself.

Both Angie and TexStyle gave you excellent responses. My response is a little different. I discovered quite by accident that navy tee shirts are a work horse in my wardrobe. I replace them immediately with the exact item ... if possible. No other item in my wardrobe deserves that distinction.

I rarely replace exactly but try to find something similar. So I might look for gold sneakers but in a different style. Black equestrian style boots are a workhorse for me that I need to replace every couple years because they wear out. All the pairs are similar but I've never exactly duplicated - the brand and style are slightly different with every pair.

I replace in the spirit of the workhorse, generally. But sometimes, nothing comes close and I end up with a wardrobe hole!

An Example are my wedge heeled tan sandals. I replaced them with flat tan flip flops. I knew the flip flops were not dressy enough to be a true replacement, but I couldn’t find anything dressy that worked.

As well, workhorses date, and so you don’t always want something too similar. You want the updated version of the workhorse, and sometimes it doesn’t exist.

I hear you. I generally try to find something similar to the original, but sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I replaced successfully an old pair of beloved sandals, but I also replaced a beloved black t-shirt and guess what? I continue to reach for the old one. It's a lottery. I think sometimes it is better to move to something different.

Angie's question is pertinent to my answer - YES if the item is an essential (like knit turtlenecks, mariner stripes) and NO if a one off statement item (like my Zara bomber) and possibly dated. It isn't always easy though, and I do get a little anxious when the time comes to part with any workhouse that is still in rotation.

It depends. There are a handful of items that I would love tobe able to duplicate exactly, but they are so old and discontinued it would take a spectacular stroke of luck to do so (my favourite grey Icebreaker tank top, my old rugby-striped turtleneck sweater, an old rugby-striped sweater vest, a cream-coloured fisherman's cardigan). I've sort of accepted that I'll have to make do with alternatives for these. Interesting that most of these items fall into the knitwear category...

There there are categories where I do replace almost directly: vintage 501s, for example. I take a very specific size and whenever I shop secondhand I check out the jeans offerings. Finding the right pair takes long enough that I always have "just enough" in rotation, never a surplus. I used to replace my Chuck Taylors every year or two, but since they stopped fitting my feet well, I've branched out into other brands to fill my "fashion sneaker" niche. Right now it's a pair of Adidas Campus sneakers. I plan to replace my Blundstones with an identical or nearly-identical pair when they wear out. I think I am more likely to stick with the same jeans and footwear for many years because they are the toughest items for me to get right in terms of fit. I get most of my variety from tops and toppers.

Yes I do need to analyse my need for gold shoes and given both of the departed items were 2 - 3 years old, they are no longer at the forefront of fashion.

I do always need flat walking shoes - both of the dearly departed were perfect for travel and walking. Light gold shoes bookend my hair and co-ordinate with much of my wardrobe. But light or white colours also do this...and currently white is more fashion forward, so perhaps the hunt for replacements should not be to replicate exactly what has gone, but find an updated item that serves the same purpose.

Texstyle - colour and comfort are brilliant starting positions. Because both of these offered that! I don't need glamour shoes, I need first and foremost comfort.

Angie - it is variable and that is what makes it hard! I have recently thought of gold shoes as being a style essential for me, but possibly they are more of a trend ...I need to think this through before mindlessly duplicating them.

Sterling - it is great when you have a style essential that can be exactly duplicated. I am glad that your perfect navy t-shirt is available. I am glad that my musings have been helpful.

SaraL - it sounds as though your black equestrian boots are a style essential and therefore it makes sense that you need to duplicate these.

Smittie - I suspect I need to adopt your strategy. My attempts to find an exact replacement never seem to work out quite as planned. There is rarely the same love for the replacement as the original. However, if I have a second pair of the same item, that is a seamless transition.

La Ped - well I hope those perfect items stay in good condition and give you many more years of service. It is so hard when perfect items die on you. I literally wore out the leather lining in these shoes - so it was nice to know that I truly wore them out but also sad to say goodbye!

It depends. It sometimes happens that by the time a beloved workhorse is worn out, I've tired of it as well. I think workhorses that I consistently replace are black skinnies—more of those in the past couple of years as high rises have become so available—black sleeveless turtlenecks in a variety of fabrics, and summer weight leather oxfords.

And, what you said. It's hard to identify the key features that made the item work so very well!

It seems that Texstyle knows hers. Comfort and colour. But that might be different for a different person.

For you, with the sandals...it could be a combination of comfort/ openness/closedness of the style, and bookending. Or low contrast with your skin. So... other options that might work would include white, cream, tan, blush, yellow, rose gold as well as gold. (Having said that, loving silver footwear as I do, I completely understand the appeal of casual metallic footwear -- it adds a dressy factor to even a simple outfit.)

Like Carla, there are certain items that I just know I will wear again and again -- mariner stripes, a merino tee or turtleneck in winter in navy or charcoal. These tend to be classics. So they're easier to replace. But statement items are another matter and it becomes much harder to choose.

I try to replace essentials if I still think they're essential to my style, so it varies. I just replaced tall black boots for that reason, and I love the updated ones even more. On the other hand, I've moved away from flats for various reasons, and have especially let classic styles like ballet flats cycle out of my wardrobe for the most part.

I also love my metallic sneakers and want to duplicate them a la Angie since they're still available on Amazon, but I've been so focused on other purchases that I keep putting it off.

It depends. Combat boots - yes, because there’s always an acceptable version somewhere. Statement pieces no, because they’re so one of a kind. And sadly, I have never found a replacement for my Saucony ‘Bullet’ sneakers. I replaced them once and then they stopped making them the same.

I wish I could find exactly the same fold-over brown ankle boots with 1" heel and old-fashioned hooks for the laces! They had good insulation and took me all over town. Mais non! They aren't around any more.

In trying to replace workhorses, I think the best thing is to look at the function it serves, not if the two items are identical. The very dark navy Pikolinos with tooled leather I looked at this fall were never available in my size, but that's probably a good thing. I have a pair of black shoes on the way that I think play the very same role the new shoes would have taken. To me, that's duplication.

I think I've finally found my red boots(!). I probably won't wear them quite as often as I wore those brown ones, but in many ways, I think they'll duplicate the role the others played. If it was closer in time to when I'd gotten the originals, I'd be looking at outfits and what I could wear with them. Sometimes a pairing works because of the "shock value" of a new thing; when it's time to retire it (if the other pieces of the outfit are still holding up), if that item has become commonplace, it could work better to get a different piece that serves the same purpose.

I have the same issue trying to replace a workhorse with a similar item, most of the time it just doesn't work as well and if I have kept the old item around I tend to keep wearing it instead. But I also can get bored with a style after a year or two so should probably go for something different anyway.

I used to but now I think it’s better to avoid. The magic of a workhorse item may not be repeatable even with a supposedly identical replacement. There is always something a bit different, that makes it not feel the same as the original. I think this is particularly true of shoes. Maybe there is something about the way I break in a particular pair that makes them super comfy, but it cannot be repeated with the next. Maybe the stitching is off just a miniscule amount but it makes a difference in the fit and feel.

My current thinking is to replace with an item that will function in the same way when I still need something to perform that function in my wardrobe.

I think I would often love to replace exactly, but given that it can be several years later that's not usually possible. It's not as if I'm generally buying something like Levis where you could get the same cut. If something has become an enormous workhorse and is beginning to wear and I can get the same thing, I will. I did with my April 2016 black Scope jacket. The first one had 150 wears since 2016 and was beginning to pill, the April 2018 one has now had 21 wears. I have kept the old one and may later try shaving off the pills- because I will need to make them both last as I don't think there will be a third one! Total essential. Before I found the first one I was replacing a similar soft merino cropped jacket.

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Sometimes, I really LOVE a workhorse. In such cases I will duplicate exactly if the item is still available when the original wears out. In high school I wore the same black oxfords for 3 years (replaced at least three times) until they were no longer available. At university I found sandals that I loved and bought 3 pairs. I'm currently on my third J Crew navy/white gingham shirt. Since high school (decades ago) I've always had a white kurta. I could probably come up with more examples. Can you tell that I'm a uniform dresser?

Some workhorses really work and I enjoy wearing them but it's not a passionate affair. Then, like Texstyle, I will try to identify the features that make the item work and look for those when trying to replace.

As Angie says, it varies. Silver shoes and bags are workhorses for me although they do not need to be the same style. I think I would try to replace my silver sneakers, but maybe not. Silver loafers or oxfords may be just as useful for the same casual walking outfits. So many things that I think of as essentials may not be.

This has been really instructive, thank you for your feedback. My new sandals are comfy and functional and were purchased on sale at the end of last summer, so were also a good price. They are not of the quality of their predecessors. So unlike LisaP's advice, it feels like they are not as good as what they replaced, so not surprising that there is not the same love for them. I don't like the fuss factor of the lace up.

However, today is hot, and I have to attend a work function where I will be on my feet doing a lot of walking. I am wearing the lace up gold sandals and I am glad I have them because they work for the life that I live - not my fantasy life where I can be like Carrie Bradshaw tripping around NY in stiletto heels.

As for the gold sneakers, I will see how I go without replacing them. Maybe something new and fresh that is flat and will go the distance, will come my way.

I haven't had a lot of workhorses wear out yet, but I suspect that when I do, I will replace them with something similar, as you did with the gold shoes. I would probably assess why the item was such a workhorse and then go from there.

It's interesting to see that your replacement just doesn't spark the same joy. It makes me think of a pair of gold flats I have that are wearing out and might see just a couple more years of wear, and one of the things I love about them is that they are extremely comfortable. If I buy a replacement pair in another style, yet still gold (the gold color is what makes them work so well in my wardrobe), they might not be as comfy, and they therefore won't be workhorses again. This makes me think maybe it is safer to do an exact duplicate...

I sometimes do--if I really want to, and if something similar is available. However, in some cases fashion as well as my own style has changed (at least a bit), and then I use this as an inspiration to find new workhorses. And actually, in some cases, items which I did'nt to plan be workhorses, but purchased (or gladly accepted as hand-me-downs) just because I liked them, have eventually turned out to be real workhorses. Examples from my present wardrobe:
● Black midi-length puffer coat
● Black knee-length leather skirt
● Deep blue long-sleeved midi velour dress
● Sleeveless tops in thin merino wool, medium blue and grey
● Short-sleeved silk knit turtlenecks, red and white
● Cobalt blue long-sleeved crewneck pullover in thin wool
● Black&white coatigan with (fake) fur collar
● Offwhite pashmina shawl
● Multi-coloured plaid pashmina shawl
● Grey patterned silk scarf
● Rose beige quilted ballet flats
● Silver loafers
● Transparent long chunky necklace
● Black tote with white polkadots
I don't expect them to be easy to replace when worn out, but that's OK. I trust that new items will catch my interest and become workhorses. As long as I am true to my basic style (having a style moniker etc. can be very helpful), I'll be fine and use the varieties in fashion as an inspiration to refresh my wardrobe.